I agree that finding a job, let alone your dream job, is challenging. This means that if you were to find a job that you truly enjoy, you must go the extra mile, which is easier said than done. So, in this article, we’ll highlight the challenges that could be limiting you from getting that one job you’ve yawned for all your life.
Your target job location is limited
The opportunities you are looking for are everywhere. It’s only that you are limiting your search to the familiar. To find the job that will make you tick, you must take the barriers off and dare to cast your net wider.
I’ve heard some people swearing that they can never work outside Nairobi. In curiosity, I probed further, wanting to know what makes Nairobi such an amazing place to live and work. As expected, I always receive half-baked answers about opportunities, which they have failed to secure so far, networks that have not yet connected them to the right people and the most hilarious of them all, the active lifestyle that keeps people on toes.
If these advantages are doing the magic for you, stay put and don’t move. However, if you are stuck with these arguments, yet you remain hopeless in your search for greener pastures could be its time to shake off these misconceptions.
Eliminate the thought that you must work in specific areas. Explore and travel the world wherever opportunities present themselves. Let not the thought of what awaits bar you from pursuing a life-changing career opportunity.
Failure to establish your worth
Yes! You have the qualifications, but how much is it worth? First, to get your dream job, articulate what you have to offer. Learn the art of selling yourself. You want to make a strong impression on your resume and cover letter. Therefore, illustrate how your skills, expertise and achievements fit the roles and responsibilities of the position you are applying for.
In the interview, prepare in advance. Google is flooded with interview questions for every industry, so make use of it. Do as many mock interviews with those around you as possible. And when the opportunity comes to meet the panel, walk into the interview room with confidence. You don’t want to fall into the category of the rare few who burst into tears when the questions get heated.
Lack of commitment
There are jobs that will require your cover letter and CV only. Some will want you to write essays and motivation letters, provide recommendation letters, and a dozen other documents. Here is where the chaff is separated from the wheat. I know for a fact that many people will scan through such an opportunity and close that window as fast as they opened it.
We also have a category of people who have applied for their dream jobs for months on end without success. At one point, you give up because it’s pointless. But before you throw in the towel, think of yourself at 60 years. How will this decision have shaped your life?
Lastly, there’s laxity when it comes to careers and planning for the future. You know the job that you want, but you keep putting it aside to a later date that will never come. So set the goal and get to it.
Blurred career goals
Where do you want to be in the next five years? A vague idea of what your career will look like is a good starting point. But you have to be clear about the big picture and the steps you’ll take to achieve that goal. What are the everyday activities that will build up towards what you are hoping to achieve?
A goal will guide you towards your dream job. Lack of one will leave you stagnant in the same position year in, year out. You will fail terribly if you can’t tell the course you want your career to take.
Failure to recognize opportunities
Remember that Thomas Edison’s saying that most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work? Most of us miss great opportunities in life because stepping out of the comfort zone seems like a lot of work, which we are not prepared to do.
There are high chances that you are trapped in your current job because stepping out seems like a high-risk venture that might blow up. This could be true, but imagine how much joy it would be to put all that energy into something you are truly passionate about? You can do wonders.
If you have a career goal and ready to go for it, don’t second guess yourself. Take a leap of faith and search for that organization, sign up in their email list, and closely monitor their opportunities. You never know when the Lord will shine His light on your career path.
